The invention relates to a method for requesting certification information, as well as to a system for supplying certification information, with the use of a check region of a certification symbol that has been allocated to a resource such as product, a system, a service, or an organizational process.
Numerous technical testing institutes and monitoring authorities the world over perform standardized quality and safety checks of products. The subject of such testing can also include environmental compatibility, durability, and the product's resistance to environmental influences and chemicals, etc. The best-known testing organization in Germany is the TÜV (Technischer ÜberwachungsVerein [Association of Technical Monitoring]), which serves as a certifying organization and performs a wide variety of certifications, in addition to its activities in the area of motor-vehicle registration.
When a positive test result is achieved for a certain product, the authorized technical monitoring or certifying organization issues a corresponding certification symbol, thereby certifying that the characteristics of the product satisfy specific minimum requirements. Known certification symbols include the TÜV badge, which is required for motor-vehicle registration in Germany, the VDE certification symbol for electronic devices, the certification symbol GS (“Geprüfte Sicherheit [Safety-Tested]), etc. Often, the award of a certification symbol certifies that a certain product meets an industry standard established by a standardizing authority. Known industry standards include DIN (Deutsches Industrie Norm [German Industry Standard]) and the ISO standards of the International Standards Organization in the United States.
Systems, such as management systems or product-process systems, are also certified, in addition to certifications for product quality and product safety (PSQ, Product Safety Quality). The standards ISO 9000 and ISO 9001 are particularly well-known in the area of quality management (TQM, Total Quality Management). These standards outline certain quality-assuring operating processes. In the area of air and space travel, processes for assuring flight safety are specified in the standard AS 9000. The standard HACCP, which includes guidelines for producing, storing, and transporting food items, relates to a completely different field.
In summary, certification symbols are not only allocated to products, but also to systems, services, and production and organizational processes. Due to the large number of domestic and foreign certification symbols, the end user may be unable to gauge the significance of a certification symbol appearing on an item. Retailers, buyers, and store managers also cannot readily remain apprised of the significance of the individual certification symbols used in the goods and services industries.
Some manufacturers and suppliers embellish their goods with decorative test seals, although no authoritative certification has been performed. Often, they use seals that resemble standard certification symbols, and thus mislead consumers.